The thing is not if he's insprired or not, it is about is he strong and massive enough to be fully efective and the answer is no. A big guy who's not in great shape can't dominate at this level.
The fact that he hasn't kept in shape shows a lot about his character. You would think that someone who almost made the Habs, would want to work extra hard this year so that next year he could come back to make the team.
Also, the fact that he was benched on Team Canada because he wasn't working hard enough is also pretty discouraging. I don't know if almost making the Habs has made him think he's too good for juniors and he doesn't have to work hard to do well but Habs management really should have a talk with him.
Once you get in the habit of lazing around, it's tough to get back to working hard.
A bad game ( from the point of view of newhabsarea , not the most moderated fans here ! ) and it's already enough to post those comments ?
I don't know. He was at the game. Also, from everything else I've heard in the past few weeks about Lats, there's no evidence that really proves otherwise.
Have you been watching the games? Would you be defending this player if we were talking about Price or Chipchura?
The fact that he hasn't kept in shape shows a lot about his character. You would think that someone who almost made the Habs, would want to work extra hard this year so that next year he could come back to make the team.
Also, the fact that he was benched on Team Canada because he wasn't working hard enough is also pretty discouraging. I don't know if almost making the Habs has made him think he's too good for juniors and he doesn't have to work hard to do well but Habs management really should have a talk with him.
Once you get in the habit of lazing around, it's tough to get back to working hard.
Yes part of the blame goes to him, but how can you explain the fact that power forwards take time to develop ? Major part of the answer is that they're left on their own and/or with bad coaches or coaches that are not competent enough to develop them physically. Instead those coaches put the blame on this guy nad in the end that power forward doesn't develop because what he needs is good physical trainers and it's clear that Latendresse doesn't have competent trainers in Drummondville.
I don't know if almost making the Habs has made him think he's too good for juniors and he doesn't have to work hard to do well but Habs management really should have a talk with him.
That was a figment of the french media imagination.
Management said that Latendresse wasn't even close to making the team this year. That should give him an indication that he needs to work harder.
Yes part of the blame goes to him, but how can you explain the fact that power forwards take time to develop ? Major part of the answer is that they're left on their own and/or with bad coaches or coaches that are not competent enough to develop them physically. Instead those coaches put the blame on this guy nad in the end that power forward doesn't develop because what he needs is good physical trainers and it's clear that Latendresse doesn't have competent trainers in Drummondville.
But the fact that the Q has incompetent coaches is really not the Habs' problem. You don't keep a guy on your team, if you don't believe he's ready for it, just because he has a bad junior coach. Also, by giving Lats icetime with the habs, you're taking away ice time from other developing players.
This year would have been a perfect year for Lats to work on his weaknesses, get some quality minutes, and show the Habs management that choosing him was a smart move.
But the fact that the Q has incompetent coaches is really not the Habs' problem. You don't keep a guy on your team, if you don't believe he's ready for it, just because he has a bad junior coach. Also, by giving Lats icetime with the habs, you're taking away ice time from other developing players.
This year would have been a perfect year for Lats to work on his weaknesses, get some quality minutes, and show the Habs management that choosing him was a smart move.
What do you mean it's not Habs problem ? You're telling me it's their problem if they lose a potentiel Bertuzzi type guy because they didn't give him the proper attention ?
You have to gain these talented power forwards' trust in order to develop them properly. Look at the Islanders and how they treated Bertuzzi. They left him on his own and he never reached his full potentiel with them. But when he was traded to Vancouver then he got to reach his full physical shape and rest is history. Even though he was considered a lazy player with the Islanders he turned out to be a leader for the Canucks.
How is that possible that a lazy player can sudenly become a leader ? The problem wasn't necessarily that he was ultra lazy and didn't train. It's just that he wasn't given the proper attention and was treated like a 4th liner.
Ih Habs treat Latendresse like Garth Murray then there's a major problem because in the end Latendresse will never ever reach his full potentiel, and that's what I'm afraid of because he's the definite type player Canadiens need.
Look at Nathan Horton with the Panthers. It didn't take 10 years to develop. He was just given the proper attention and now he's already a really good player for them.
What do you mean it's not Habs problem ? You're telling me it's their problem if they lose a potentiel Bertuzzi type guy because they didn't give him the proper attention ?
You have to gain these talented power forwards' trust in order to develop them properly. Look at the Islanders and how they treated Bertuzzi. They left him on his own and he never reached his full potentiel with them. But when he was traded to Vancouver then he got to reach his full physical shape and rest is history. Even though he was considered a lazy player with the Islanders he turned out to be a leader for the Canucks.
How is that possible that a lazy player can sudenly become a leader ? The problem wasn't necessarily that he was ultra lazy and didn't train. It's just that he wasn't given the proper attention and was treated like a 4th liner.
Ih Habs treat Latendresse like Garth Murray then there's a major problem because in the end Latendresse will never ever reach his full potentiel, and that's what I'm afraid of because he's the definite type player Canadiens need.
Look at Nathan Horton with the Panthers. It didn't take 10 years to develop. He was just given the proper attention and now he's already a really good player for them.
Horton was picked 3rd overall in the draft. Latendresse was picked in the second round. Horton > Latendresse.
Sure Latendresse has shown that he has potential to be a great player in the NHL but he is FAR from a sure bet. IMHO, the Habs would have made a big mistake in taking Lats over a player like Higgins or Plekanec for this year.
I don't believe that they should be giving Lats a free ride just because he's from the Q and the coaches there suck. If he wants to play for the Habs, he has to work for it.
Hey...if he has a hard time getting inspired in the QMJHL, he would get murdered playing in Montreal. Sounds to me like someone has some growing up to do, and there is no worst place to grow up in than the Montreal spotlight.
Latendresse is best off staying in the QMJHL for this year. There is no way in hell he would be better off in Montreal.
Exactly. If his confidence is shattered easily in the Q, just think of what would happen in Montreal with the press all over him. For those of you who remember, Guy Lafleur was considered a huge disappointment despite scoring 29 goals as a rookie.
I think the expectations can sometimes be higher for francophone players in Montreal so why throw them to the wolves. Let Gui go through the normal development process.
Horton was picked 3rd overall in the draft. Latendresse was picked in the second round. Horton > Latendresse.
Sure Latendresse has shown that he has potential to be a great player in the NHL but he is FAR from a sure bet. IMHO, the Habs would have made a big mistake in taking Lats over a player like Higgins or Plekanec for this year.
I don't believe that they should be giving Lats a free ride just because he's from the Q and the coaches there suck. If he wants to play for the Habs, he has to work for it.
Latendresse was ranked n'2 in North America right behind Sidney Crosby before Guillaume's injury. So it's clear that he has comparable skills to a guy like Horton.
It's not about giving him a free ride, it's about developing him properly. If you think that Higgins and Perezoghin are similar player to Latendresse then I can tell you you're way way way off. These guys need totally different training in order to get to the NHL. The point in bringing Latendresse right away in the NHL is develop him physically and get him to a respectable level quicker than if he'd be in the Q.
And it's not just that coaching in the Q is bad, it's just that hey. What does your logic tell you ? Is the best coaching staff in Drummondville PQ or with Montreal Canadiens ?
I know the NFL is totally different from the NHL, but developing a player is similar. Look at Ben Watson with the Patriots. That guy was considered to be a project, much like power forwards in the NHL because they have skills, they're big but they're not physically ready right away. Therefore, have to be worked on properly.
Ben Watson had to sit his 1st year but he was taken care by the Patriots coaching staff he was trained in order to get him to a really good physical condition. Even though he didn't play much in his first year he didn't lose any of his abilities because he was asked in practice to put all efforts possible. Much like what could have been done with Latendresse.
Was Watson taking the place of some guy who worked harder maybe to get to the NFL. Yeah, of course. But hey the year after Watson became a very valuable TE for the Patriots.
Guillaume Latendresse has WEAK CONFIDENCE... he is still broken from the world juniors im sure of it, he needs Gainey or Timmins or Savard to motivate him some how... he has every tool in the box.
ENOUGH OF THIS BASHING HES FREAKING 18 YEARS OLD! POWER FORWARDS TAKE A WHILE TO DEVELOPE!
Guillaume Latendresse has WEAK CONFIDENCE... he is still broken from the world juniors im sure of it, he needs Gainey or Timmins or Savard to motivate him some how... he has every tool in the box.
ENOUGH OF THIS BASHING HES FREAKING 18 YEARS OLD! POWER FORWARDS TAKE A WHILE TO DEVELOPE!
If he was somehow in MTL this year and stinking it up, I am sure the pecker heads on 110% would somehow find a way to blame Koivu and Kovalev for his suckiness.
Latendresse was ranked n'2 in North America right behind Sidney Crosby before Guillaume's injury. So it's clear that he has comparable skills to a guy like Horton.
It's not about giving him a free ride, it's about developing him properly. If you think that Higgins and Perezoghin are similar player to Latendresse then I can tell you you're way way way off. These guys need totally different training in order to get to the NHL. The point in bringing Latendresse right away in the NHL is develop him physically and get him to a respectable level quicker than if he'd be in the Q.
And it's not just that coaching in the Q is bad, it's just that hey. What does your logic tell you ? Is the best coaching staff in Drummondville PQ or with Montreal Canadiens ?
Why do you want to rush Latendresse?
Gainey didn't think he was ready for the NHL and even Latendressese didn't think he was ready for the NHL.
Is it a great strategy to throw guys into a higher level of competition only to see them fail, lose confidence and ride the bench. And if they would have kept him with the Habs, they would have been stuck with him on the roster no matter how bad he was playing because there would be no sending him to the Bulldogs or back to junior.
You can look at Latendresse through your rose coloured glasses forever but the Habs made the correct decision on this one.
you guys are crazy !!!
the expectations are way too high to him ..
EVERY PHYSICAL PLAYER TAKE TIME TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES IN THE BIG LEAGUES!!
He's a keeper and i'm really happy we have him !
you guys are crazy !!!
the expectations are way too high to him ..
EVERY PHYSICAL PLAYER TAKES TIME TO DEVELOP !!
He's a keeper and i'm really happy we have him !
A guy his age is supposed to progress.....not regress. People have a right to be worried. We are starting to see definite holes in this guy's game.
Gainey didn't think he was ready for the NHL and even Latendressese didn't think he was ready for the NHL.
Is it a great strategy to throw guys into a higher level of competition only to see them fail, lose confidence and ride the bench. And if they would have kept him with the Habs, they would have been stuck with him on the roster no matter how bad he was playing because there would be no sending him to the Bulldogs or back to junior.
You can look at Latendresse through your rose coloured glasses forever but the Habs made the correct decision on this one.
What ?
I'm totally saying the inverse. I said bring him to the NHL so that he can be trained properly. That way he won't have to carry any team on his shoulders and he'll pratice with better players. That way he'll develop much quicker and better than if he'd play in the Juniors.
Right now he's far from optimal physical condition and he's asked to carry his team to the Memorial Cup. Is that not to rush him more than just be in Montreal and just train and practice ?
You can think me to look at him with roseglasses but just look at other sports for once and look at how projects are developed. They're not sent to NFL europe or ABA Basketball and whatnot. They're with the big club and they're trained like they have to. They're not left to some coach in Juniors.
If you think he can't become a Bertuzzi type player that's fine. I think he can.
A guy his age is supposed to progress.....not regress. People have a right to be worried. We are starting to see definite holes in this guy's game.
He always had holes .. but you never saw them !
IMO if this guy didnt had the camp he had last year, people would have been happy with the progress he made this season compare to last year !!
he's still 18 years old and doing good in a junior league..
with one more year in drumondville and maybe 1 or 2 years in the AHL and I could see him play in the NHL ..
He still has to work on his footstep, working along the board,the defensive game,his overall skating and how the timing on his bodycheck..
prospect is all about development so be patient with him and any habs propect..
Latendresse was ranked n'2 in North America right behind Sidney Crosby before Guillaume's injury. So it's clear that he has comparable skills to a guy like Horton.
It's not about giving him a free ride, it's about developing him properly. If you think that Higgins and Perezoghin are similar player to Latendresse then I can tell you you're way way way off. These guys need totally different training in order to get to the NHL. The point in bringing Latendresse right away in the NHL is develop him physically and get him to a respectable level quicker than if he'd be in the Q.
And it's not just that coaching in the Q is bad, it's just that hey. What does your logic tell you ? Is the best coaching staff in Drummondville PQ or with Montreal Canadiens ?
I know the NFL is totally different from the NHL, but developing a player is similar. Look at Ben Watson with the Patriots. That guy was considered to be a project, much like power forwards in the NHL because they have skills, they're big but they're not physically ready right away. Therefore, have to be worked on properly.
Ben Watson had to sit his 1st year but he was taken care by the Patriots coaching staff he was trained in order to get him to a really good physical condition. Even though he didn't play much in his first year he didn't lose any of his abilities because he was asked in practice to put all efforts possible. Much like what could have been done with Latendresse.
Was Watson taking the place of some guy who worked harder maybe to get to the NFL. Yeah, of course. But hey the year after Watson became a very valuable TE for the Patriots.
I am not saying he's better off in the Q. For sure he would be better off in Montreal(Edit: He'd be better trained if he was in Montreal) . But the thing is, I don't think Montreal would be better off with him there. Sure, it could have turned out that he'd really develop well with the Habs and that he'd have become an extremely important part of the Habs almost right away.
But the odds are just as good, if not better, that he doesn't play really well and doesn't develop the way we're hoping he does. And if that would have been the case, we would have prevented our other young guys like Pleks and Higgins to develop.
Also, like we all know, he's still 18 and his body is not completely developed. With the physical style of play that he has, he could easily re-injure himself as well.
I think there were a lot of factors that Habs management had to take into account before they decided whether or not Gui should stay. And, IMO, they did the right thing.
But, regardless, Guillaume should be working harder if he wants to play in the NHL.
I don't dislike Latendresse, and I really think he could be exactly what we need in the future, but I find the work ethic he's displayed so far this year to be quite disappointing.
A guy his age is supposed to progress.....not regress. People have a right to be worried. We are starting to see definite holes in this guy's game.
Excellent quote, Bobby Mac from TSN and others were picking Latendresse to run away with "Q" scoring championship this year because of his 2nd half last year and his great NHL camp, plus no Crosby....he is obviouslygot some holes in his game like you have said.
Everyone was saying Ribeiro was going to be the "next" Gretzky because of his skills, well he believed the hype and his work ethic slacked and his game never developed to where it should have...I just don't want Latendresse to believe the hype, I hope he is grounded and level headed because being given a NHL job isn't a given!
18 or 30 if your Habs prospect or player no one wants to see so much promise disappear because they are't on the team in Montreal.
Look at a guy like Schremp in London, he should have made the Oilers this season but was sent to London for his last year of Junior. He is a known "headcase" and "problem", but he went back and played hard and is ripping up the league in scoring...to me that is a pure love of the game and one wanting to prove that they belong, Latendresse did everything but show inspired play and wanting prove his talent worth to the Habs.
He really needs to step up his game, because like it or not there is another draft this summer and he can easily start to slide down the depth charts in the Habs organization with a good draft, the signing of FA kids, trading of players for prospects and kids in Hamilton moving up to the big club.
Right now he's far from optimal physical condition and he's asked to carry his team to the Memorial Cup. Is that not to rush him more than just be in Montreal and just train and practice ?
The fact that he's not in optimal condition (compared to other QMJHL players) is solely his fault.
And IMO, there's much less pressure playing in the Q and being relied on to bring your team to the championship, than playing in the best league in the world (in Montreal, nonetheless).
And there's a lot more to hockey than just training and practicing. You need those ganme situations.
I am not saying he's better off in the Q. For sure he would be better off in Montreal(Edit: He'd be better trained if he was in Montreal) . But the thing is, I don't think Montreal would be better off with him there. Sure, it could have turned out that he'd really develop well with the Habs and that he'd have become an extremely important part of the Habs almost right away.
But the odds are just as good, if not better, that he doesn't play really well and doesn't develop the way we're hoping he does. And if that would have been the case, we would have prevented our other young guys like Pleks and Higgins to develop.
Also, like we all know, he's still 18 and his body is not completely developed. With the physical style of play that he has, he could easily re-injure himself as well.
I think there were a lot of factors that Habs management had to take into account before they decided whether or not Gui should stay. And, IMO, they did the right thing.
But, regardless, Guillaume should be working harder if he wants to play in the NHL.
I don't dislike Latendresse, and I really think he could be exactly what we need in the future, but I find the work ethic he's displayed so far this year to be quite disappointing.
you have a point
but the way I see things is that he'd just play like 4 games out of 5 and maybe like 5 minutes game. For me the odds of getting injured in that situation are really slim.
You develop him for 2 years, then send him to Hamilton in 2 years so he can get his game shape back and it might not even take him a year before he's ready to come back in the NHL.
I agree that he has to work harder, but it's always the case with power forwards and I've come to a point that it really doesn't bother me whether or not the guy is considered somewhat lazy. Bertuzzi showed that a "lazy" player can really become a leader and a great player.
I think by entering the NHL at 18 and by knowing he wouldn't play 20 minutes a game I think it's a step in the right direction as far as proving that he can be a leader in the sense that he basically forgives his rookie year and therefore won't win the rookie of the year award and a bunch of bonuses. That way he accepts a certain role in the organization and doesn't really take away ice time from Kovalev, Koivu, Ribeiro, Bégin and so on.
The fact that he's not in optimal condition (compared to other QMJHL players) is solely his fault.
And IMO, there's much less pressure playing in the Q and being relied on to bring your team to the championship, than playing in the best league in the world (in Montreal, nonetheless).
And there's a lot more to hockey than just training and practicing. You need those ganme situations.
In power forwards' cases they need an higher than average game shape and I don't think you can get that in juniors. It's been the case with 99% of power forwards in the CHL.
Look at Thornton, Horton and so on, these guys yes were good in the CHL but never really dominated the game because in order to be fully effective they need above average physical condition.
It's been that way with hundreds of powar forwards, so I really can't say that it's solely his fault.
) and it's already enough to post those comments ? 
